V. Navaratnam | |
---|---|
வி. நவரத்தினம் | |
Member of the
Ceylonese Parliament for Kayts | |
In office 1963–1970 | |
Preceded by | V. A. Kandiah |
Succeeded by | K. P. Ratnam |
Personal details | |
Born | 25 October 1910 |
Died | 22 December 2006 Montreal, Quebec, Canada | (aged 97)
Alma mater | Ceylon Law College |
Profession | Lawyer |
Ethnicity | Sri Lankan Tamil |
Vaithianathan Navaratnam (25 October 1910 – 22 December 2006) was a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament.
Navaratnam was born on 25 October 1910. [1] [2] He was the son of Vaithianathan from Karampon on the island of Velanaitivu in northern Ceylon. [1] He was educated at Karampon Shanmuganathan Maha Vidyalayam, St. Patrick's College, Jaffna and Ananda College. [1] After school he joined Ceylon Law College, graduating as a proctor in 1936. [1] [3]
Navaratnam married his first cousin Parameswari. [1] They had five sons (Chandra Mohan, Jagadishan, Jegan Mohan, Raj Mohan and Bala Mohan) and a daughter (Shyamala). [1] [4]
Navaratnam became interested in politics following Ceylonese independence in 1948. [1] He was appointed joint secretary of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party) when it was founded in 1949. [1]
Navaratnam stood as ITAK's candidate in Kayts at the 1952 parliamentary election but was defeated by the All Ceylon Tamil Congress candidate Alfred Thambiayah. [5] He was ITAK's theoretician and played an important role in the formulation of the Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact. [6] [7] Navaratnam stood as ITAK's candidate in the constituency in the 1963 by-election following the sitting MP V. A. Kandiah's death. He won the election and entered Parliament. [8] He was re-elected at the 1965 parliamentary election. [9]
An ardent Tamil nationlist, Navaratnam fell out with the ITAK leadership over its decision to join Dudley Senanayake's national government and left the party in 1968. [1] [6] [10] In 1969 he founded the Tamils Suyaadchchi Kazahagam (Tamil Self Rule Party) which campaigned for Tamil self-rule and independence for the Tamil speaking provinces of Ceylon. [11] [12] [13] He stood as an independent candidate in Kayts at the 1970 and 1977 parliamentary elections but on each occasion was defeated the ITAK/ Tamil United Liberation Front candidate K. P. Ratnam. [14] [15]
Navaratnam has written two books: Ceylon Faces Crisis (1956) and The Fall and Rise of the Tamil Nation (1995). [3] [16] He died on 22 December 2006 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [17] [18] He was posthumously conferred the title of Naattu Patralar (patriot) by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. [19]
V. Navaratnam | |
---|---|
வி. நவரத்தினம் | |
Member of the
Ceylonese Parliament for Kayts | |
In office 1963–1970 | |
Preceded by | V. A. Kandiah |
Succeeded by | K. P. Ratnam |
Personal details | |
Born | 25 October 1910 |
Died | 22 December 2006 Montreal, Quebec, Canada | (aged 97)
Alma mater | Ceylon Law College |
Profession | Lawyer |
Ethnicity | Sri Lankan Tamil |
Vaithianathan Navaratnam (25 October 1910 – 22 December 2006) was a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament.
Navaratnam was born on 25 October 1910. [1] [2] He was the son of Vaithianathan from Karampon on the island of Velanaitivu in northern Ceylon. [1] He was educated at Karampon Shanmuganathan Maha Vidyalayam, St. Patrick's College, Jaffna and Ananda College. [1] After school he joined Ceylon Law College, graduating as a proctor in 1936. [1] [3]
Navaratnam married his first cousin Parameswari. [1] They had five sons (Chandra Mohan, Jagadishan, Jegan Mohan, Raj Mohan and Bala Mohan) and a daughter (Shyamala). [1] [4]
Navaratnam became interested in politics following Ceylonese independence in 1948. [1] He was appointed joint secretary of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party) when it was founded in 1949. [1]
Navaratnam stood as ITAK's candidate in Kayts at the 1952 parliamentary election but was defeated by the All Ceylon Tamil Congress candidate Alfred Thambiayah. [5] He was ITAK's theoretician and played an important role in the formulation of the Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact. [6] [7] Navaratnam stood as ITAK's candidate in the constituency in the 1963 by-election following the sitting MP V. A. Kandiah's death. He won the election and entered Parliament. [8] He was re-elected at the 1965 parliamentary election. [9]
An ardent Tamil nationlist, Navaratnam fell out with the ITAK leadership over its decision to join Dudley Senanayake's national government and left the party in 1968. [1] [6] [10] In 1969 he founded the Tamils Suyaadchchi Kazahagam (Tamil Self Rule Party) which campaigned for Tamil self-rule and independence for the Tamil speaking provinces of Ceylon. [11] [12] [13] He stood as an independent candidate in Kayts at the 1970 and 1977 parliamentary elections but on each occasion was defeated the ITAK/ Tamil United Liberation Front candidate K. P. Ratnam. [14] [15]
Navaratnam has written two books: Ceylon Faces Crisis (1956) and The Fall and Rise of the Tamil Nation (1995). [3] [16] He died on 22 December 2006 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [17] [18] He was posthumously conferred the title of Naattu Patralar (patriot) by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. [19]